Neville: Lampard should be 'LEAST surprised' over his Chelsea sacking

Gary Neville claims Frank Lampard should be the ‘LEAST surprised’ over his ruthless Chelsea sacking after he was part of the squad ‘ringing up members of the media trying to get Andre Villas-Boas out’

  • Frank Lampard’s sacking as Chelsea boss last month left many fans furious 
  • The inexperienced boss was dismissed amid an awful run of form domestically 
  • But Gary Neville insists Lampard should be ‘pragmatic’ about his dismissal
  • Neville reflected upon Chelsea’s ruthless sacking of Andre Villas-Boas in 2012

Gary Neville claims Frank Lampard should be ‘pragmatic’ about his Chelsea sacking, highlighting the club’s ruthlessness when it comes to dismissing managers and reflecting back on the time Andre Villas-Boas was hounded out.

Lampard’s dismissal as manager amid a dismal run of form domestically left Chelsea supporters furious, with many believing the club legend wasn’t given an appropriate amount of time to turn things around.

The inexperienced Chelsea boss was swiftly replaced by Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and Neville claims Lampard should be the ‘least surprised’ over his dismissal by reflecting back on his own experiences in West London.

Frank Lampard became the latest victim of Roman Abramovich’s ruthlessness at Chelsea

Neville highlighted Villas-Boas’ sacking in 2012 and how Lampard was part of a squad that influenced the decision to let the Portugese boss go after just nine months.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the former Manchester United right back said: ‘I think because of the rumours that came out of Stamford Bridge and the media before, it wasn’t really a shock. I thought initially he would get more time, just to let them settle in but you can’t be surprised by Chelsea.

‘I go back Martin to in Napoli eight or nine years ago, when Villas-Boas had picked a team in the afternoon of a Champions League game. And he left out Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and another big player at that time. 

‘And I remember Chelsea players at that time ringing up members of the media and trying to get him out. And Frank was part of that group. 

‘And it has been really a brutal football club for managers for many many years, and Frank has suffered that brutality last week, so he should be the least of all surprised because he has been at the club when Villas-Boas was sacked, Scolari, and all the rest of them have come and gone.’

Gary Neville pointed out that Lampard was part of the squad that got Andre Villas-Boas sacked

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea on January 25th following their routine fourth-round FA Cup victory over Luton.

The former England and Chelsea midfielder will now bide his time as he weighs up his next managerial move.

And Neville claims that his former England team-mate must look at the bigger picture over his Chelsea dismissal, insisting the club’s model of hiring and firing will always be the case if results aren’t going the way Roman Abramovich would like them to.

‘He will be hurt and disappointed,’ Neville added. ‘But I hope he is pragmatic about it. In the sense that it’s not a reflection upon him in the sense that every manager at Chelsea gets sacked before they think they should. They don’t get the time they think they should. That’s what happens. It is a club that has a model that has worked and he knows that model. 

‘For me, I never shed a tear for Frank the other day. Sometimes I feel sorry for managers, but I think Frank has had a massive experience. He has had a great experience at Derby, he has had a great experience at Chelsea, and where he is at now in his managerial career, is that he is a lot further ahead than most English managers have been, and that’s a real positive.’

Neville admitted that he wasn’t surprised at all by Chelsea’s dismissal of their club legend

Neville then admitted that Lampard’s next decision is vital if he wants to continue his way up the managerial ladder, and reach the heights set by Jurgen Klopp and Co.

The Sky Sports pundit said: ‘We have to try and build up young managers’ careers to a point where they can become experienced and get to this level of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and these types of exceptional coaches. 

‘Brendan Rodgers is doing it at Leicester, doing a fantastic job and he has had many good jobs along the way. He has been sacked, he has been let go and he has had difficult moments. 

‘And Frank has just got to make sure now that the next club he picks is a good one. That is the key for Frank Lampard. Take the experiences that he has had, he has had amazing experiences, he did a great job at Chelsea last season.

‘It is harsh but it’s not harsh at Chelsea because that is what Chelsea do.’

Lampard was sacked by Abramovich following a dismal run of form domestically




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